Administration officials argue that the cold war created an unrealistic sense of fatalism about a terrorist nuclear attack. “It’s more survivable than most people think,” said an official deeply involved in the planning, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The key is avoiding nuclear fallout.” . . . White House officials say they are aware of the issue’s political delicacy but are nonetheless moving ahead briskly.

President Merkin Muffley could not be reached for comment.

As the Professor quips, "They told me if I voted Republican, we’d be plunged deep into a scary 1950s-style pre-nuclear-war 'duck and cover' posture. And they were right!"